Running
by Laughing-Fang
Summary: No matter how much knowledge or power he acquired, he always lost in the end. Fate was fickle.


**Spoilers for Doomsday!**

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**Ch.1- Lost and Found**

It was strange, this feeling. It had a name, but it refused to be called by it. If she could name it, then she could box it away like everything else and move on. But this name flitted on the edge of her mind and mangled itself when she tried to say it aloud.

Whatever the name of it was, it was strong. Strong enough to force her to stop hiding behind the rusted dumpster of a London alleyway and walk out in the street. Strong enough for her to ignore the destruction and the ashes. It beckoned her to run, but she had enough self-control to walk.

Never before had she come across this urge. It was as if she was being pulled towards something, whether she wanted to or not. As if it was of the utmost importance that she and what lay at the end of this journey were to be united as was written in time.

It brought her to a large building marked Torchwood.

--

So it had ended, and he couldn't quite believe it. Gone. Snatched away, and he, the powerful Doctor, could do naught but watch. How many lives had he lived? How many years? No matter how much knowledge or power he acquired, he always lost in the end. Fate was fickle.

This too, he realized taught him something about himself. A mere year ago, he would have accepted even this bitter loss stoically, or even quietly. But now, a year later, he was changed in so many ways. He couldn't stop the tears of frustration and sorrow from sliding away. One sob escaped as he pressed his cheek against the blank wall.

Finally, after holding it in for a few minutes, he decided to step on his dignity and just let it go. It didn't matter anymore, who he was. It hurt, losing someone. Hurt badly.

So it began as the Timelord did something he had never done before. He sat with his back against that wall, let the tears fall, and just remembered.

--

She walked into a war zone. Desks, chairs, and tables lay strewn about, making it hard to navigate through the hallways. She tried not to look too closely, but a few of the dark objects looked a little like bodies. Bits of the wall were scorched in places and a large pool of dark liquid took up three quarters of a room.

Before, she had tried to stop this hold on her, but she had no wish to tarry here. No, this time she hurried through the building, following an internal sense that guided her. This whole thing chilled her to the bone. Feeling cold, she wrapped her jacket tighter around her in a futile attempt to warm herself.

She climbed the last stair, pausing and looking out the panoramic view of the window. It opened out to show the buildings of London on the left and a bit of Canary Wharf on the right. Yesterday it would have been beautiful. Now she looked away to avoid the smoke and the few people who were walking aimlessly.

Her feet brought her to a room that was totally white. Rows of desks lined up against two of the walls, all facing a totally blank wall opposite her. It seemed a storm had passed through. Papers were strewn everywhere, and chairs were upturned. One pane of glass had been shattered in the entrance. The feeling dissipated into something like content.

Then she noticed the man, previously hidden from view by the desks. He sat, slumped against the far wall. He looked strained and rumpled, but there was no pool of blood about him. His eyes were closed, but as she approached, his chest rose slowly and fell.

"Hello?" Her voice was raspy and frightened. The man's eyes shot open.

--

He wasn't sure exactly when he drifted off. Eventually, his sobs had quieted, his breathing had evened, and the tears had dried. Crying had an effect that made one tired when it was over, and he was no exception. He didn't sleep often or much, but this time it was mostly exhaustion.

Some time later, he was awoken by a voice. "Hello?" It questioned roughly. Immediately, his eyes opened as he blearily tried to figure out who it was. His head was still muddled.

"Rose?"

"No." Was the answer. He sighed painfully, and his breath hitched as he remembered what had happened. The female knelt beside him, concern written across her features. "Are you okay?" It was meant well, but her compassion only reminded him of Rose.

"Fine." He answered curtly. "You shouldn't be here." He looked up at her, taking in her appearance. Her short hair was dyed a violent blue with eyes to match, and she had dark pants and a light blue tank covered by a black jacket. Beyond her curiosity of him, she looked upset, which considering the circumstances was understandable. "What are you doing here, anyway?"

She stiffened at the question, and then shrugged. "Just felt like I had to come here. Kinda strange I guess." Pausing, she met his gaze. "Then I found you here."

The Doctor knew he should stand up and talk to her, then leave. He shouldn't be lingering, especially after what had happened. He wasn't good at the aftermath. But he couldn't bring himself to leave here. Not yet.

"What do you mean 'felt you had to come'?" He asked suddenly. She hadn't been wandering, or scavenging. And the way she had said it quickly made it seem even stranger. She broke the gaze. For a moment she was silent, then she answered quietly.

"I felt like I was being led here."

--

His eyebrows knitted together in confusion when she said this.

"Led here? That's strange. I-" He was cut off as he tried to stand up, finally. "Ah..ah..." He paused a few inches off the ground, holding his neck painfully. Evidently, sleeping against a wall was not good for the spine.

She offered him her hand, and he took it, and she helped him up. That done, she tried to break his grip, but he held on tightly. Frightened, she looked up to his face, which had hardened into something like deep thought. His brown eyes bored into her uncomfortably.

That's when she noticed how cool his hand was. Normally, everyone else she touched seemed burning by comparison to her. But his felt normal. Right. Which was impossible, because every other human...

_Every other human_

"What are you?" Not who. What. She opened her mouth, and shut it. She was shocked, but regained her wits.

"I could say the same of you!" She shot back, reclaiming her hand. "No human has such cold hands!" Feigning surprise, she waited for him to answer. His features were strangely serious on such a boyish face, eyes faraway.

"Naw, but I'm not human-" She shivered as he looked through her. He pulled out a small metal device and activated it. A blue light caught her eyes, as the device's hum filled her ears. "-and neither are you." He finished, lowering the device.

And that was when she ran.

--

He should have figured it out earlier, really. The tenseness when she moved, the hunted eyes. Not to mention the look of absolute terror when he had announced her an alien. Especially since that was seared in his mind as he chased after her, coattail flapping.

Unfortunately, it seemed his prolonged nap had left him stiff and sore, and she slowly gained on him. He had to admire her speed, really. Eventually, he decided he would find her later, and save his breath. Bending over, he wheezed a few times, face red and sides heaving. This alien, whoever she was, knew how to run, and knew where she was going.

But it was essential he found her, because no regular alien hideout was that terrified of being discovered. And they wouldn't have sought him out. No, this was strange, and he was going to unravel the mystery. Finally partially regaining breath, he pulled out his sonic screwdriver and another strange-looking device.

He had a bit of her skin left on his hand. Just enough to use the bio-detector to find her location. The device he ran over his hand, then he pulled out the sonic screwdriver as windows opened and closed on the device's screen. A few moments later, he smiled in satisfaction and proceeded to thread his way through London, following the blinking blue dot on the screen.

--

It led him to an apartment building. The blue dot pulsed frantically, exactly where he was standing. But the girl wasn't here. Which couldn't be right. She wasn't in the room below, and she wasn't on this roof. None of the other floors had life signs either. The Doctor ran a hand through his ruffled hair, stumped.

Packing away the device in a pocket, he stared at the ground thinking. Frustrated, he kicked a stray stone. It bounced about four feet away, and struck seemingly nothing.

Until it hit an invisible barrier, activated a decloaking device and left the doctor standing on a roof, with an extra room scarcely two inches to his right.

"Brilliant." He murmured. "An out-of-phase hideout. Pure genius."

--

She had thought she was safe. No one could find her here. No, she would be safe from that strange man and his strange device. She figured she was safe from everything except maybe his words.

_But I'm not human.. and neither are you..._

That same sentence, repeating over and over, had stayed in her thoughts every running step. She shivered involuntarily at the thought of those hard eyes.

While she contemplated this, a brief hum started and died, and the room's walls shuddered and became whole in the same second. Immediately, she took vantage by the doorway, knowing she had been found. Somehow. Panic took over as she watched the Doctor stroll in, and turn his gaze to her.

There was a strange light in his eyes as he took up her gaze. A knowing.

"How long has it been-" He questioned quietly, something like sorrow in his words. "-since you've seen another Timelord?"

**A/N:** Hey everybody! This is my first fic posted under this account, and my first fic that wasn't a oneshot. I've got a lot of plans for this fic, but I also have short attention span, and have chronic prolazinitis. Thus, I'm horrible with regular updates, and things of the like. I'd appreciate any feedback and suggestions you might have, I'm open to help.

So in other words I'm going to get down on my knees and beg you to review and preserve my sanity.

That being said, I apologize for any out-of-character Doctor-ness, or confusion. I realize the format for this chapter is a little strange, but that was the way it seemed to flow. The next chapter may or may not be the same way, but I can promise not all of them will.

I think.

Now after this extremely long and unnecessary note, I say adieu.

And remind you to review.

Or else I might have to subject you to more unintentional rhymes.

Ta ta and all that bloody rubbish.

**oOoLaughingFangoOo**


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